As soon as our doll Maslova realizes she has four years in Siberia (that idiot Kartinkin has eight… idiot), she starts bawling. Duh. And Nekhlyudov begins his appeals, first with the president who is anxious to get home to Clara. Now, it’s been a while since I took this up, but I believe there was something not entirely honorable going on here. Awwwk. So the president is sympathetic to a point:

‘Had you but added the words “without intent to cause death,” she would have been acquitted.’

Siberia is COLD, by the way.

Anyways, he leaves and it’s up to Nekhlyudov to make the case to an advocate.